The Sun and the Sea
by Chocoholic221B
Summary: NavyOfficer!Kurapika is captured by Pirate!Chrollo and they go on a romantic pirate adventure. Angst, slow burn, all that fun stuff. KuroKura, Chain Pair, ChrolloPika.


**(A/N: I know what you're thinking. Choco, calm down with the stories already! You've got like fifty going on at the same time. Well, I'll have you know that I only have four and one of them is on hiatus and the other isn't due until the end of January. So, I can write about whatever I bloody well choose. So, here we've got a Chain Pair AU where Kurapika is a navy officer making his way up in the military as he plots his revenge on the Phantom Troupe, a famous pirate crew. I've already posted a part of it on Tumblr, btw. So, without further ado.)**

 **Chapter One:**

' **We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.' - Aristotle Onasis**

There was wind outside. Harsh, cold wind that wracked against the ship, pulling it from side to side. The smell of vomit and sweat permeated the air and clogged Kurapika's unfortunately sensitive nose. He remained silent, resting easily in his hammock, reading a book lit by an overhanging lantern. He didn't scowl, didn't cover his mouth to keep the smell out. Sometimes, it almost seemed he didn't breathe at all. As if he was a mere shell of what had once been a human being.

"Hey, Mr. Kurapika!" a voice called, and its owner nearly collided with Kurapika's makeshift bed. The blond didn't shift but let his eyes slide, nevertheless, in the green child's direction. Gon Freecss was a sprightly boy of twelve and Kurapika's only real friend on the ship, with dark green hair that refused to ever fall, forever held up in spikes by some invisible force. Large, amber orbs looked out at everything with a wonder Kurapika knew well. A wonder with which he had once approached everything. Not anymore, though. Never again.

"What is it Gon?" he finally asked.

The young deckhand lifted an envelope stamped with a stark red Naval crest. The sea and a heart bound together by ivy. It hadn't always been like that. Not until the new Emperor took his place on the throne. For all intents and purposes, their humble country was but a mere Kingdom, far from an Empire. But, Emperor Netero didn't like the sound of King Netero and thereby renamed the country the Swaldani Empire. "It's the Captain."

"Thank you, Gon." The naval officer took the envelope and slid one finger under the flap. The crest fell away. He slipped the letter out: A clean piece of cream parchment with elegant scrawls of writing. The Captain was a long-winded man. It could be the middle of a war and he'd still manage to find time to drag his orders out for several minutes.

Kurapika skimmed the essay, rolled his eyes, and fell out of his hammock, only to land neatly on the ground. The hardwood floorboards creaked beneath him, as they often do, and he narrowly avoided a drunken sailor or two as he made his way out of the cabin.

He huffed as the door behind him shut closed. "Ought to fire the lot of them."

The Captain needed his help strategy-wise again. Honestly, how that man had managed to climb the ranks and become a Captain when he was such a numbskull remained a mystery to him. Light Nostrade often found himself on the verge of a mental breakdown half the time, doting on his young daughter the rest, and most definitely not suited for something as difficult as commandeering a ship.

"You sent for me, Captain," Kurapika said, polite despite his personal opinions on the man. The office, as they called it, was a small compartment, just large enough for a handful of people, equipped with a desk and two chairs. Kurapika stayed where he was.

The Captain sat at his desk, frighteningly still as he gazed down at the wood. He resembled a ghost, and when he spoke, his voice was shaking. "They're coming for us."

"Pardon me?" the blond asked, perplexed.

"The Phantom Troupe is coming for us," the Captain whispered, and Kurapika could practically touch the fear in his voice.

The Phantom Troupe. Finally, his hard work was paying off. He didn't even have to lift a finger, his enemies were coming to him, flying to their deaths like moths to a deadly flame.

He maintained a calm facade, masked his excitement and his rage, and spoke with clarity, "What did you do?"

Yes, the Phantom Troupe, while a band of uncouth, destructive forces of nature who lacked any sort of human empathy, never did something without a reason. They had no treasure, so what they were seeking probably fit into the revenge category.

"We attacked someone from their hometown," the Captain replied. "A young man named Steven Lifen."

"That murderer?" Kurapika asked, incredulous. Why anyone would want to avenge a serial killer was beyond him. "I assume they sent you something in that case."

The Captain lifted a crumpled piece of paper. Kurapika took it, squinted a bit at the horrible calligraphy, and finally made out more or less what the Phantom Troupe wanted. Retribution.

"Let them take what they want," Kurapika replied.

"Even if it means our death?"

"It won't." Not everyone's, anyway.

The Captain raised his head, unconvinced. Kurapika didn't take offense. The Phantom Troupe were known to leave no survivors after a heist. But, this wasn't a heist, this was revenge, and if there was one thing Kurapika happened to be an expert in, it was revenge.

They'd be arriving soon. Midnight, for drama's sake, because they hadn't become one of the most notorious pirate crews without showing off a bit. Kurapika's hands itched for blood, fingers curling into fists.

Let them come. He would be ready.

. . .

The crew was asked to come up to the deck, every last passenger, and as an unmarked ship comes into view, seemingly out of nowhere, they all seemed to understand.

Pirates.

No. The Phantom Troupe.

So, they weren't completely oblivious, after all. He shouldn't be surprised. Even Leorio knew of the Phantom Troupe and he was a doctor, not at all close to being intrigued by the violent and inhumanly.

His fellow crewmates all turn to look at him, and the blond repressed the urge to roll his eyes. They best pray that he wasn't the one chosen, otherwise, they might as well start writing their wills already.

"Does anyone know who commandeers the ship that is now approaching us?" he asked, walking down the steps, feeling much like a professor lecturing his students.

One of the men, a red-haired triplet, raised his hand, and Kurapika actually did roll his eyes this time.

"Yes, Leo."

"Chrollo Lucilfer," he replied.

Kurapika reached the main deck. "Indeed. And do you know who he leads?"

"The Phantom Troupe."

"Knowing this, understand that there is no reason to panic. They are here for a business exchange, not a massacre," Kurapika said, walking through the crowd of nevertheless horrified faces. The blond's mind lamented. He couldn't very well force them to keep calm.

Laughter filled the air, loud, boisterous peals that roll on into the night, echoing in the silence, and Kurapika was suddenly face-to-abdomen with one of them: A large man with wild, spiky hair. He towered over the blond, but Kurapika didn't cower at the wild grin on his face. Instead, his blood boiled because of it, heart pounding in his ears, something at his core awakened. Bloodlust. It had been so long since he'd felt it to this extent.

"Heh," the man said, leaning down to look him in the eyes, that smug look still on his face. Kurapika clenched his fist to keep it from connecting with his face. A fight's the last thing they needed. They might be idiots, uncouth and pathetic, but Kurapika still found value in his crew's lives. And all the more in Gon's, who appeared ready to jump in front of Kurapika himself.

"Is there something you wish to say?" the blond finally uttered, tone surprisingly monotone. All his training had paid off then.

The man straightened, crossing his arms, as his grin widened. "Snippy, huh? Aren't you a bit young to be a Captain of a ship?"

"Aren't you a bit old to be asking such ridiculous questions?" Kurapika shot back, coolly. No need to tell them who the actual Captain was when the actual Captain's currently in the midst of another mental collapse.

The man's eyes widened a bit, a look of shock overtaking his face for approximately two milliseconds before the laughter returned. And then, Kurapika was caught in a one-armed hug.

"Hey, Machi, I like this one. Can we keep 'im?" he yelled, eyes transfixed on a young woman with pink hair and sharp, cat-like eyes, a silent spectator lit by moonlight, perched atop the railing of the ship.

"We're supposed to leave the deciding to Danchou," she replied. Her voice was barely above a whisper but it is frozen and jaded and Kurapika expected nothing less of a Spider. Scum. They're treating them like livestock. Like slaves.

The monstrous man's grip did not loosen. "I volunteer Mr. Prissy Pants here."

Mr. Prissy Pants?

"Uvogin." This voice was different from the other two, lacking that characteristic inhumanity. It was warm and gentle, mellow and authoritative all at once. Like the sound of waves, it was calming and terrifying, depending on how close you were to it. "Please, stop harassing our hosts."

'Uvogin' looked over his shoulder, and Kurapika followed out of curiosity. There, on the quarter-deck, just a few steps away, looking down on all of them, stood Chrollo Lucilfer, in the exact same spot Kurapika had stood before he came down to talk to his fellow crewmates. Clothed in a long, black fur coat and black pants covered in silver straps towards the end. Guess they didn't teach him to have a proper fashion sense in Pirate School. And yet, he pulled it off. Because when you had that face, who really cared about what you wore? Even if he had weird, colossal earrings, and weird clothes, and a strange cross tattoo on his forehead. He wasn't exactly horrifying to look at.

Yes, he was admitting that the man was rather attractive, but honestly, it was not like he has very much competition at the moment. Just because Kurapika hated him with a passion, didn't mean he was blind to facts.

"Yo, Danchou," the man bellowed and Kurapika wondered why he felt the need to shout everything. It wasn't very pleasant to the ears. "Can we get this one?"

"I don't recall saying we'll be taking a captive," the man said, stepping down. Everyone parted for him. Every last person except for one young boy, who stood his ground between the man and Kurapika.

Gon.

Kurapika's calm facade crumbled. What did he think he's doing? As calm as the man might appear, it did not mean he'd stay that way for long.

"And who are you?" the leader asked, looking down at the boy with thinly veiled interest.

"Gon Freecss," he replied. The boy held none of the level-headedness of the man before him, his voice was loud and strong and hostile.

Lucilfer's pose relaxed, as he resigned himself to entertaining a little green imp. "Such hostility. Tell me, what does a little boy think he can do against a league of criminals?"

He wasn't threatening Gon, Kurapika realized. He was simply curious. And that was potentially even worse. By his calculations, Chrollo Lucilfer was nothing short of a psychopath, and his fascination was nothing short of deadly.

"I don't know," Gon replied, and Kurapika mentally flinched. Not only was the boy a compelling case study of moral ambiguity but he also had a way of phrasing things that made people infinitely more interested in him. "But I've stopped you from going any further, so that must count for something."

 _Gon. Shut up._

Lucilfer's eyes scanned the boy's face, before tilting his head to the side, quizzically. "Have you ever been on a Pirate ship before, Gon?"

 _No. No. Hell no. I'm not letting you twist another person around like you did me._

Kurapika elbowed Uvogin in the stomach with the butt of his kusarigama, and the towering man let him go out of pure surprise. He lifted one of the kama over his head and sent it flying towards the other man with the practiced precision of a warrior. Lucilfer managed to dodge, unfortunately, and it embedded itself in the wall behind him. It didn't matter. The blond had what he needed.

He lunged forward, placing himself between his young friend and his sworn enemy. His hand yanked back the chain connecting the two blades and it obediently fell back into his other hand with one quiet clunk. Chrollo's eyes lingered on the weapon, a hint of admiration creeping onto his face.

"So," the man said, easily, "I'm guessing the green one's off limits?"

"You could say that," Kurapika replied, trying to mimic the same casual tone, but he sounded too serious, too angry, and it served to only frustrate him further. His hands clenched his blades, the chain clinking as he straightens. They are close in height, he notes, the other man only boasting three inches more at most, but his clothes and muscular build made him seem far taller, more intimidating. Unfortunately for him, he'd just met ol' goliath over there so he couldn't for the life of him be too scared.

Lucilfer scanned his face, much like he had with Gon, though this time with some familiarity tossed in. "And what is your name?"

"I have no name," Kurapika shot back, and he calms his pride by assuring himself that it wasn't a complete lie. His name no longer belonged to him. It belonged to his family, just as his soul did. Therefore, he did not have anything.

A hand came up to cup his chin, lifting it just enough to look him in the eyes properly, and Kurapika felt his dignity get dragged through the mud once more. He couldn't fight back now, though. Not with Lucilfer's cronies watching over him.

"You seem familiar," Lucilfer whispered, vaguely, as if trying to clear up some distant memory. "Have we met before?"

"If we had you wouldn't be here right now, I assure you," Kurapika snapped back, and Lucilfer smiled this time, a small, gentle curve of the lips.

He peered back at Uvogin. "It seems you were onto something, Uvo."

Kurapika didn't look, preferring to keep his back to the giant, and to the young boy who was undoubtedly trying to wrap his mind around everything.

"Do you have any objections?" Lucilfer asked.

"You'll just take someone else if I say that I do."

The corners of his mouth quirked up in amusement. "What a sweet sentiment. Do you want a minute to say goodbye?"

Kurapika glared at the mocking undertone and opened his mouth to say no, but then, another spoke for him.

"He does," Gon said from behind him. "And he doesn't want to say them near you."

The blond averted his eyes, shifting uncomfortably. This boy clearly didn't understand who had the upper hand here. He was in no position to make demands.

Despite this, Chrollo moved away, heading towards where Machi and Uvogin now stood by the railing. As soon as his back was turned, Kurapika pivoted around on his heels and wrapped Gon up in his arms.

"Don't come after me," he whispered, eyes still fixed on the Spiders talking just a few feet away. It'd be so easy to just let his kama lethally lodge itself in Lucilfer's back, right by the St. Peter's cross, but he restrained himself, choosing instead to tighten his grip on Gon. If he succeeded in injuring the Spider Head, it might mean an all-out fight with the legs. There were more of them in the shadows, just waiting for a chance to strike. Eyes that were all speared through him, sensing his dissonance.

Gon responded, quickly, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and following his lead. "But, Kurapika."

"Is what I would like to say right now, but you never listen to me anyway," he sighed, fondly. "So, I'll just tell you to look for my old master. Leorio will know who."

"Leorio?" Gon repeated.

Kurapika released him, having said what needed saying, and gave him one of his rare smiles. "I'll see you around Gon."

He stood and proceeded to join Lucilfer at the railing. Gon took a few steps after him, as if ready to grab onto him and be whisked off to Lucilfer's ship as well. His other crewmates, the ones closest to Lucilfer and coincidentally the ones in his way, lifted their arms as if they expected a hug of their own.

"Out of my way," he said, pushing through his comrades, who looked close to tears at his rejection.

Lucilfer glanced at him, before heading up to the helm of the ship. Kurapika reluctantly tailed him, flanked by two vigilant Spiders.

"Oh, yes," Lucilfer said as if he'd just remembered something of mild importance. He turned back to their adoring crowd. "Your actual Captain might be in need of some medical attention. Though, a funeral might be a better option."

Kurapika clenched his jaw, bile building up in his throat, in his entire being. How could they say such things so carelessly? As if it is nothing more than a -

"Hold your breath," Lucilfer said, lifting him to sit on the railing like he weighed no more than a grain of salt. He then joined him, an arm wrapped firmly around his waist, and for a second, he enjoyed the warmth. Nights on the sea are cold, after all. You took whatever you could get. "And close your eyes."

What? Was he planning to drown him or something? Kurapika glanced down at the formidable waters below. He wouldn't put it past him.

"Close them," Lucilfer commanded, sterner this time, and certainly closer to him than before. Goodness, had he no sense of personal space? He could practically feel his breath ghosting his earlobe.

Kurapika shut his eyes close, let himself face darkness in the company of his enemy, felt the arm around his waist pushing him ever so slightly closer. Wind swept back his hair, harsh and cold against his skin, loud in his ears. It was replaced by water, and then by warmth.

"You can open them now," Lucilfer announced, relinquishing him from his grip.

The blond allowed his eyes to slide open to see a nicely-furnished office. A large, black table stood by one wall, with a comfy-looking armchair having been slid partly underneath it. There was a shelf, covering an entire wall from ceiling to floor with the same material the table had been made of, loaded with books and globes and gadgets. A series of portholes overlooked the sea. There was even a potted palm tree in the corner that had a nameplate that read _'Archimedes'_ , and seemed to be growing quite well considering it was being taken care of by a ruthless criminal.

"It's not much," Lucilfer said, shrugging off his ridiculous coat and draping it over his armchair, "but it's home."

He supposed even thieves have homes, even if they didn't give a shit about other people's.

"You can go wherever you wish," Lucilfer started, taking a seat behind his desk, putting a level of distance between. "You're not a prisoner, more of a long-term guest. Just don't try to burn the ship and we'll all get along just fine."

"Aren't you a little suspicious?" Kurapika prompted, not moving an inch from his spot.

"Not really. Rather, I'm more interested in what happened to you than what you will do."

Kurapika frowned. "Care to elaborate?"

"What happened to your arm?"

The fingers on his left hand clenched into a fist, the metal screeching together. "I'm afraid revealing that would be detrimental for both of us."

The man smiled again, closing his eyes in thought. "Then, I suppose I'll have to die of the suspense."

If only.

"I suppose."

Lucilfer smirked and tossed him a set of keys. "Those are to your room. Cabin 24, third door to the left. Don't worry, you'll be in there alone."

He made his way to the door. "Thank you."

"Oh, and Kurapika?"

The blonde halted, bristling at the fact that he'd said his name. He'd probably overheard his conversation with Gon. "Yes?"

"Don't say things you don't mean. You're terrible at it."

His eyes widened in indignance, tossing one last, heated glare at the man, before huffing and leaving the room in a fit of annoyance.

No matter. His luck had turned out better than he could've hoped. He was in. Their leader had welcomed him with open arms like the fool he really was under all that armor. And with his master on the way, they wouldn't stand a chance. All Kurapika has to do was play his part.

Chrollo Lucilfer would rue the day he captured him.

 **. End of Chapter .**

 **A/N: Is it just me or has my writing style changed? I don't remember being so long winded. But then, this isn't a comedy. This is a romantic drama with enough angst to last for the following year. It's also a less happy depiction of the Chain Pair. I always depict them as a lovey-dovey couple. Time for a change.**

 **Obligatory begging for reviews: Just do it. Okay? Every review, favorite, and follow will go directly to funding Kurapika's first therapy session (because he needs it).**

 **Edit: Changed the tense from present to past. Some stories are told better in past tense I guess. Plus, I kept switching between them.**


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